The present invention relates broadly to a novel method for providing services to mobile users. More specifically, the present invention relates to the creation, relevance based discovery and delivery of services over mobile networks
In typical wireless networks, a mobile service provider is the owner of the shared network infrastructure. The third party service providers (also referred to as “application providers” or “content providers” or “third parties”) are in partnership with the mobile service provider. The third parties use their network infrastructure in order to provide services to the mobile users.
The traditional wireless networks, which use the model of one network, one device and one application (service) provided by mobile service providers, have been used for a long time. However, today's wireless landscape is rapidly changing. The advent of high-speed networks in today's wireless landscape presents a diversity of challenges. Such high-speed networks are capable of supporting technologies that provide new advanced services, support full-feature devices and adjust to changing subscriber trends. Indeed, there is a huge scope for maximizing the utilization of the capabilities of such wireless networks on these counts.
On the third party end of the mobile service delivery chain, diverse third parties from different non-telecom domains, have started making inroads into the mobile service delivery chain in order to maximize the utilization of the present wireless landscape. However, these third parties face a constraint. Many of these third-parties do not possess all the capabilities required for end-to-end service delivery. For example, an entertainment company may own music content that it wants to deliver onto mobile devices, but it has neither any direct subscriber billing relationships nor capabilities to enforce Digital Rights Management (DRM).
On the subscriber end of the mobile service delivery chain, the diversity of subscriber requirements and devices is on a rise. Clearly, this requires mobile service providers to gear up to offer multiple services for different subscribers with different devices. These services must be customized in order to match the device capabilities. Hence, the mobile service providers need to address the requirements of the subscriber to personalize services. Also, the users must be able to easily access relevant services based on their profile, location, preferences, current status and the like.
Since there are so many diverse services that are being offered to varied types of subscribers, another major issue that needs to be addressed is the lack of a system that can enable integrated subscriber management and billing. Another major issue is the long time frames taken by existing systems for service creation. In the growing competitive nature of service delivery, services must be created much faster than what is being used currently (the current time frame is of few months), to gain an edge over the competitors.
Besides the abovementioned issues relating to incomplete usage of capabilities of today's high-speed networks, there is another area wherein the capacities are not utilized to the maximum. This area is incomplete utilization of Mobile service providers. Mobile service providers in the mobile service delivery chain have a unique asset: they have the ownership of the subscriber database. To build their position as a central hub in the service delivery value chain, mobile telecom operators need to reposition themselves from being merely telecom service providers (providing the transport pipe between applications and devices) to become smart, value-adding intermediaries in service delivery.
In the light of the abovementioned disadvantages, there have been some solutions that attempt to overcome the limitations of traditional methods for service creation. “Service Creation System (SCS)” made by Alopa located in California, USA is one such solution. The Alopa SCS provides a comprehensive framework for enabling rapid creation and deployment of new broadband services within the provider infrastructure. It allows broadband service providers to quickly deploy new revenue generating and differentiated levels of services, spanning voice, data and video. The SCS also improves the providers' business processes by centrally integrating multiple billing, customer care and trouble-ticketing systems.
Another system for service creation is “Wireless Service Builder” by Maskina located in Massachusetts, USA. Wireless Service Builder (WSB) consists of an internal portal for mobile service providers' management of mobile services and web-based environment for service creators. It also consists of a runtime environment and application server for the mobile services and a choice of mobile deliveries for browsing and using mobile services. A set of platform modules is available for the different creator groups, including content providers, users, large enterprises, media companies, marketers, service providers, systems integrators and the mobile service provider's internal resources. Services are created using simple web-based step-by-step templates that guide the creator through the creation process.
Yet another service is “Telecommunications Service Creation Environment (TSCE)”, by Compaq located in California, USA. The suite of services offered by TSCE aid service creation by mobile service providers as well as third parties. Services are created using Graphical User Interface (GUI) templates. Using GUIs, which correspond to the service objects, makes the service creation easier and faster. TSCE can provide customized services too.
Also “Telcordia SPACE Service Creation & Provisioning System”, made by Telcordia Technologies located in New Jersey, USA, provides one approach. This service, involves service creation by mobile service providers as well as third party participants. The service creation is done through templates, which have already been developed by mobile service providers. Once the mobile service provider implements the service, the users of the service can customize the service according to their own requirements.
A patent application overcoming some of the problems of traditional system of service creation is WO0217105A1 entitled “System And Method For On-Line Service Creation” published on Jul. 27, 2001 by Pure Matrix, Inc., Colorado, United States of America. The disclosure apparently provides an online platform accessible to the content providers at one end and the users at the other. The users can customize the created services according to their requirements. The disclosed invention provides these service creation capabilities for various network devices that may have either wired or wireless connectivity to the platform.
The existing methods to overcome the limitations inherent in traditional methods for service creation still do not solve the problem entirely. The traditional methods of service creation fail to effectively and profitably use information about mobile service provider network capabilities, applications enabling services, user device capabilities and the existing business relationships with third parties. The facility of the mobile service provider mediating at the application level relationship between the user and partner is also not available. Further, traditional service creation methods are not policy-based. There is also a need for improved collaboration between third parties and mobile service providers for service creation. For instance, traditional service creation methods often do not have information about the target user profile at the time of service creation, which would have helped them to create a more customized service.
Also, in existing methods, the user often does not have the option of customizing and/or personalizing the services as per the user's needs. Moreover, there is no relevance based service provision. In other words, the user gets to know all the services that are being provided irrespective of the fact that some of these services may not at all be relevant to the user.
Thus, there is need for an invention that creates a service framework to incorporate mobile service provider network capabilities, user profile and device capabilities, application enabling services and business relationships that the operator has with its two ends (i.e. “users” and “third parties”) together while creating services. There is a need for an invention that can profitably use the mobile service provider's core network information to create services. Further, there is a need for an invention that allows the third party to participate in the service creation process to customize services according to user requirements.